United States Under Secretary of State

Last updated February 18, 2025

Under Secretary of State (U/S) is a title used by senior officials of the United States Department of State who rank above the Assistant Secretaries and below the Deputy Secretary.

From 1919 to 1972, the Under Secretary was the second-ranking official at the Department of State (immediately beneath the United States Secretary of State), serving as the Secretary's principal deputy, chief assistant, and Acting Secretary in the event of the Secretary's absence. Prior second-ranking positions had been the Chief Clerk, the Assistant Secretary of State, and the Counselor. Prior to 1944, a number of offices in the Department reported directly to the Under Secretary. In July 1972, the position of Deputy Secretary superseded that of Under Secretary of State.

The following is a list of current offices bearing the title of "Under Secretary of State":

In addition to the six Under Secretaries, the Counselor of the Department, who advises the Secretary of State, holds a rank equivalent to Under Secretary.

Current Under Secretaries of State

Under Secretaries of State^[1]
Office	Incumbent	Term began
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs 1 FAM 041	Lisa D. Kenna (Acting)	January 20, 2025
Under Secretary of State for Management 1 FAM 044	Tibor P. Nagy (Acting)	January 20, 2025
Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment 1 FAM 042	Thomas E. Lertsen (Acting)	January 20, 2025
Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security 1 FAM 043	Brent T. Christensen (Acting)	January 20, 2025
Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights 1 FAM 045
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs 1 FAM 046	Darren Beattie (Acting)	February 4, 2025

Under Secretaries of State, 1919–1972

Name	Home state	Term of office	President(s) served under
Frank Polk	New York	July 1, 1919–June 15, 1920	Woodrow Wilson
Norman Davis	New York	June 15, 1920–March 7, 1921	Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding
Henry P. Fletcher	Pennsylvania	March 8, 1921–March 6, 1922	Warren G. Harding
William Phillips	Massachusetts	April 26, 1922–April 11, 1924	Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge
Joseph Grew	New Hampshire	April 16, 1924–June 30, 1927	Calvin Coolidge
Robert E. Olds	Minnesota	July 1, 1927–June 30, 1928	Calvin Coolidge
J. Reuben Clark	Utah	August 31, 1928–June 19, 1929	Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
Joseph P. Cotton	New York	June 20, 1929–March 10, 1931	Herbert Hoover
William R. Castle Jr.	District of Columbia	April 2, 1931–March 5, 1933	Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt
William Phillips	Massachusetts	March 6, 1933–August 23, 1936	Franklin Roosevelt
Sumner Welles	Maryland	May 21, 1937–September 30, 1943	Franklin Roosevelt
Edward Stettinius Jr.	Virginia	October 4, 1943–November 30, 1944	Franklin Roosevelt
Joseph Grew	New York	December 20, 1944–August 15, 1945	Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman
Dean Acheson	Maryland	August 16, 1945–June 30, 1947	Harry Truman
Robert A. Lovett	New York	July 1, 1947–January 20, 1949	Harry Truman
James E. Webb	North Carolina	January 28, 1949–February 29, 1952	Harry Truman
David K. E. Bruce	Virginia	April 1, 1952–January 20, 1953	Harry Truman
Walter Bedell Smith	District of Columbia	February 9, 1953–October 1, 1954	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Herbert Hoover Jr.	California	October 4, 1954–February 5, 1957	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Christian Herter	Massachusetts	February 21, 1957–April 22, 1959	Dwight D. Eisenhower
C. Douglas Dillon	New Jersey	June 12, 1959–January 4, 1961	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Chester Bowles	Connecticut	January 25–December 3, 1961	John F. Kennedy
George Ball	District of Columbia	December 4, 1961–September 30, 1966	John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
Nicholas Katzenbach	New Jersey	October 3, 1966–January 20, 1969	Lyndon B. Johnson
Elliot Richardson	Massachusetts	January 23, 1969–June 23, 1970	Richard Nixon
John N. Irwin II	New York	September 21, 1970–July 12, 1972	Richard Nixon

References

↑ "Senior Officials". United States Department of State. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.

External links

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[1] "Senior Officials". United States Department of State. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.

[1]

v t e United States Department of State
Headquarters: Harry S Truman Building Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Vacant, Deputy Secretary of State Vacant, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Lisa D. Kenna, Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Deputy Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources	Office of Foreign Assistance Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Office of the U.S. Coordinator for the Arctic Region
Under Secretary for Political Affairs	Bureau of African Affairs Bureau of Counterterrorism Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of International Organization Affairs (United States Mission to the United Nations) Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment	Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs Bureau of Energy Resources Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Office of the Chief Economist Office of Global Food Security Office of Global Partnerships Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary
Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security	Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation Bureau of Political-Military Affairs International Security Advisory Board
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs	Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of Global Public Affairs Global Engagement Center International Expositions Unit Office of Global Youth Issues Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Under Secretary for Management	Bureau of Administration Bureau of Budget and Planning Bureau of Consular Affairs Bureau of Diplomatic Security Bureau of Global Talent Management Bureau of Information Resource Management Bureau of Medical Services Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services Foreign Service Institute (Office of the Historian) Office of Foreign Missions Director of Diplomatic Reception Rooms Office of Management Strategy and Solutions Office of White House Liaison
Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights	Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Office of Global Criminal Justice Office of International Religious Freedom Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
Bureaus/Offices reporting directly to the Secretary	Chief of Staff Office of the Counselor Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy Bureau of Intelligence and Research Bureau of Legislative Affairs Executive Secretariat (Operations Center) Policy Planning Staff (Foreign Affairs Policy Board) Office of Civil Rights Office of Diversity and Inclusion Office of Global Women's Issues Office of Inspector General Office of the Chief of Protocol Office of the Legal Adviser Office of the Ombudsman Office of the Secretary's Special Representative for Syria Engagement Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Office of the Special Representative for Venezuela Office of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority Office of the U.S. Special Coordinator for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment Iran Action Group Foreign Service Grievance Board Secretary's Open Forum

United States Under Secretary of State

Contents

Current Under Secretaries of State

Under Secretaries of State, 1919–1972

See also

References

External links